Pages

Friday, 2 March 2012

GUEST POST: HOW TO MAKE FELT BALLS

This tutorial comes from Belinda Connelly of Fairythread. A big thank you to Belinda for the tutorial as well as the special offer for the readers of this blog (see note below).

Make your own felt balls - great for the kids to try!

"the ball is the first toy a child should have, for it is the symbol of the whole" Froebel

This
soft and simple ball is made from 100% pure wool which is then hand
felted. It is warm and comforting to touch and provides a wonderful
means for your baby to become aware of movement as well as stimulating
the senses and imagination.

You will need:

•unspun wool

•large bowl or kitchen sink

•dishwashing detergent

•warm & cold water

•towel

(I find it easiest to work over the kitchen sink)

1.
Wind very thin strands of the wool round and round in a random pattern
to form a ball shape. Make it a third bigger than the intended size as
it will shrink in the process.

2. Submerge the ball in warm water until it is soaked. Squirt generously with washing up liquid.

3.
Now work the ball as though you are making a snowball 'cupping' and
'packing' it with your hands. Rub the ball, making sure to keep its
round form. You need to work quickly: rubbing, cupping and packing so
that the outer fibres begin to lock together. This will take about 7
minutes.

4. While rinsing the ball in cold water now, continue the above actions. This helps to firm the locking of the fibres.

5. Resubmerge the ball in warm water, add a little more detergent and work for a further 5 minutes.

6. Rinse thoroughly in cold water, making sure to squeeze out all of the soap.

7. Rub in a towel to dry. I like to leave mine on top of my hot water service overnight to dry thoroughly.

Note: You can buy your own felt ball kits from Fairythread (www.facebook.com/fairythread). Mention this blog to receive 10% off normal price!

Hi Teresa,Today, I received an e-mail from someone and that is when I noticed that Belinda's links that I was provided with, which used to work, do not work any longer. I sent her an e-mail this morning and hope to hear from her soon with updated information. Once she lets me know of her new contact details, I will be updating the her details here too. Thank you for making me aware of the issue.

Unfortunately, I haven't received a response back from Belinda so far. I hope all is well with her. If I ever manage to get in contact with her, I will be informing her of all your comments and questions.